Elder Stephen Crisp returned home from a two year mission in the Ecuador Guayaquil North Mission on November 17th, 2015.

Monday, January 19, 2015

January 19th, 2015

Its been a real good first week here in Ventanas. The branch here is a lot bigger than before, it makes it a lot easier to work with members. I just came from the smallest branch in the mission in Simon, so I feel like the whole work has changed a bunch. So we have quite a few investigators, they came to church with us. One her name is ruth, shes like 30 but looks like shes 50 cause Im pretty sure she had a stroke. Its kind of sad, shes raising two kids by herself with a bunch of health problems, and she really needs the help of the gospel. It was cool we met her contacting, contacts for me never end up working out, even coming to church, but she came and she said she really enjoyed it. Another is a family that were former investigators, the family Sandoval....for now theyre prepping for baptism at the beginning of february, but theyre super excited and also need a lot of help in their home, in their relationship.

An interesting thought that Ive had on my mind is about our view of sin. President Riggins always teaches us the scripture from Hebrews 1:8-9, that Christ was chosen because He Loved Righteousness, and Hated Iniquity. Well ya here in this city that I just started in, every single kid has this stupid toy thing its two plastic balls connected by a string, and you swing it up and down and they clack clack clack really really loud and they never stop doing it. At any given time in any given street theres 4 or 5 doing it. It is the most obnoxious and pointless thing ive seen in my life and this whole week ive been so frustrated about the amount of noise that ive had urges to go to every youth here and take it away and tell them how annoying it is. and then it hit me...why dont i feel so strongly and so annoyed about all the unmarried people living together here, seriously like 1 in 20 is married. Why dont I get that upset that people just sit on their porch and drink all day. Why doesnt it kill me so bad that people have to live without the restored gospel of Jesus Christ that I just want to run around all day trying to get every last one to stop living in apostasy. Really it should bug us that people dont have this gospel. I realized Hating Iniquity at the level of the Savior would probably be something like my disgust for these toys, I should probably change my focus this next week haha.

Thats just a little thought I had, a scripture I read that I liked gives us a warning today about the same thing, about sin and righteousness and how it affects all. in Alma 310 ; andthe wickedness of the church was a great stumbling-block to thosewho did not belong to the church; and thus the church began tofail in its progress.

The wickedness it talks of here is more pride (theres a super dope talk from President Bensen called Beward of Pride you should listen to it) but really any form of iniquity is what brings not just us down but the church. Love Righteousness

Alma 29:9

"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."